"It's time to eat."
Zhang's mother walked into the living room carrying a plate of fried tofu with green onions and a plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes.
Zhang Jiao, lying on a reclining chair covered with a blanket, said, "Mom, help me up."
Zhang's mother put the dishes on the table, walked over with an impatient look on her face, and helped her up.
Zhang Jiao supported her lower back with her other hand and moved towards the table little by little. When she saw the dishes on the table, she frowned.
"Why are there tofu and shredded potatoes again?"
This was what I had for lunch yesterday. Dinner was not so bad. I had boiled noodles with fried eggs.
Zhang's mother said, "This tofu is nutritious. I asked the people who buy the vegetables, and they all said that eating tofu is good. It can supplement some protein. It is suitable for people like you who are injured."
Zhang Jiao endured the pain and slowly sat down on a stool covered with an old cotton-padded jacket she no longer wore. She took a deep breath and said, "Mom, you got the living allowance, thirty yuan. I also gave you the meat coupons."
Even without meat coupons, thirty yuan is enough to eat meat every day for the next ten days.
When her mother took the money, she said that she was injured and needed to eat nutritious food. She took 30 yuan for living expenses, but to that day, she didn't even see a piece of meat!
Mother Zhang frowned and said, "I did buy some meat, but shouldn't we wait until the two men in this family get back from their afternoon shift before we can eat it? If Junjun and I eat it, won't your husband and your father-in-law have something to say?"
"Ah, it's a thankless job for me. My daughter is injured, and I, an elderly person, have to take care of her by cooking and washing clothes, and yet I still get complained about."
"My back has been hurting so much these past two days that I can't even stand up straight. Has anyone ever felt sorry for me?"
Zhang's mother sat on a stool, with her back to Zhang Jiao, and spoke in a sad tone.
When Zhang Jiao saw her mother like this, she was speechless. She remembered her childhood when she was sick and her mother carried her to the hospital on a snowy night. When she went to school with her two brothers, her mother secretly cooked eggs for her and asked her not to tell her two brothers.
늀 felt that she shouldn't have said such things and hurt her mother's feelings.
"Mom, I'm not blaming you, I'm just..."
"Forget it, it's my fault. I shouldn't have said that."
Mother Zhang snorted without saying anything. She stood up and walked to the door, calling Junjun, who was playing in the yard, to come in for dinner.
Today was Saturday, and Li Yunshu was going back to the Li family, but Huang Qiuyan's younger brother had a cold and didn't come to work that day.
She was busy until half past six and then rode her bike home.
Lin Guodong was squatting outside the store after work. He saw his mother pushing a bicycle out the door. It was obvious that she was going back to Li's house at this time, so he quickly trotted after her.
But how can his two legs outrun two wheels?
Soon he lost his bicycle.
Lin Guodong put his hands on his hips, gasping for breath as he watched the bicycle disappear.
I figured it was Saturday, and tomorrow was a day off. Xiao didn't have classes, and he wouldn't have evening self-study that night. Xiao didn't come home after school, and his mother locked the door after 6:30. They probably went back to the Li family's house on Saturdays.
It was easier to deal with the situation now that he knew when his mother would return to the Li family. He didn't have to wait there every day. He only needed to wait outside the dumpling shop after work on Saturday.
The most important thing now is to buy a bicycle.
Lin Guodong returned home in the freezing cold. Seeing him back, Zhang's mother said warmly, "Guodong, you're back. Have you eaten? I left you a bowl of bone soup."
Lin Guodong nodded and said, "I ate it. I ate two steamed buns."
In fact, he went to a state-owned restaurant and had a plate of pork and cabbage dumplings.
When Zhang's mother heard this, she frowned and said, "How can you just eat steamed buns? I'll bring you some bone soup. I spent two yuan to buy the bones and stewed them for most of the afternoon."
Lin Yongnian, who was sitting on a reclining chair reading a newspaper, sneered. He bought the bones for two yuan, but they were just bones without any tendons or even meat. How could he have earned two yuan for them?
"Okay." Lin Guodong nodded and sat down at the table.
After a while, Zhang's mother brought a bowl of steaming bone soup to Lin Guodong, which contained a large bone with some meat on it.
The only bone with some meat on it was in Lin Guodong's bowl of soup.
"Be careful, the soup is still a little hot."
Lin Guodong took the bowl and nodded, then took a sip of the soup and found it a little bland.
"Dad, I want to buy a bicycle."
Lin Yongnian folded the newspaper and asked, "Why did you think of buying a bicycle?"
Because their work is not far from the factory and they don’t have to walk much, the family hasn’t bought a bicycle in these years.
Lin Guodong said, "I already know when my mother will return to the Li family, but she always rides a bicycle. I want to follow her to the Li family's gate, but I can't keep up with her on my two legs."
Before Lin Yongnian could say anything, Zhang's mother said, "Buy it. You must buy this bicycle."
Lin Yongnian heard Lin Guodong say: "If you want to buy it, go ahead."
"Father-in-law, my son wants to buy a bicycle, and you, as his father, have to give him some money." Mother Zhang looked at Lin Yongnian and said.
Lin Yongnian looked up at his son Lin Guodong and saw that he also wanted him to ask for some money. Suddenly, he remembered that he was going back to his hometown and asked him to borrow ten yuan. He didn't really want the money.
It's not that he and Zhang Jiao are short of money. Zhang Jiao also earned more than 300 yuan. The money they have as a couple is more than what he has.
But even if they have money, they want him, their father, to pay for what they want to buy. They should be hoping that he can give them all the money.
Lin Yongnian was silent for ten seconds before saying, "You want to buy a bicycle? I'll give you fifty yuan. You know, I don't have much money left."
He only has his son Guodong to rely on now. He can't spend all the money, but he can't spend none of it either.
Although Lin Guodong felt a little disappointed that his father didn't say that he would give all the money, he still nodded and said, "Thank you, Dad."
After drinking the soup, Lin Guodong went into his and Zhang Jiao's bedroom. He didn't know if it was psychological, but he always felt that there was a smell of shit in the room.
Zhang Jiao was lying on the bed. When she saw him come in, she asked, "Do you want to buy a bicycle?"
She heard everything they said in the living room.
Lin Guodong nodded.
Zhang Jiao smiled and said, "It would be a good idea to buy a bicycle so that we can go to work and go anywhere conveniently."
"Yeah." Lin Guodong nodded and went out again, not wanting to stay in the room any longer.
Zhang Jiao felt very uncomfortable seeing him walking around like this without even talking to her for a while.
Li family
After dinner, the Li family sat around the coffee table drinking tea and chatting.
At this time, Mr. Li also told his daughter Yunshu that Feng Anguo asked Mr. Zou to be a matchmaker.
"Who? Who asked Uncle Zou to propose marriage to me?" Li Yunshu asked in shock, wondering if he had heard it wrong.
The two little sisters, Li Xiao and Li Zhenzhen, held each other's hands tightly, their eyes shining.
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